By Dewey Terrill
After a lengthy discussion that seemed to go around in circles the Geary USD 475 Board of Education settled on a response Monday night at the Devin Center to a City proposal to acquire the former Junction City High School site for $1 for future development of a possible future sports complex, library, natatorium project. City acquisition would occur after demolition of the old school building. The project might have retained facilities such as the football turf and running track along with the tennis courts.
Board member David Walker offered the motion that received approval. "We'll commit to the City that we won't look at any other stakeholder or any other RFP or purchase price. We're committed to the City to work with them for this site. " Walker noted in the future the Library or YMCA might want to change their buildings, and the school district would still work with them to do that.
Local businessman Kendall Schoenrock has led the charge on the project to redevelop the former high school site in the future. The response was not a definite endorsement of that specific project. During discussion before the vote he noted that he had lived in the community for a long time. "I've heard the statement that we just can't get out of our own way. We responded to the RFP as presented ( by the District ). We have a number of stakeholders who bought into that vision, we have the City on board with the city commissioners endorsing this proposal. I think it's a sold proposal, it has merit for the taxpayers and the citizens. " But that specific proposal did not receive full Board approval.
Junction City Manager Allen Dinkel said they're not sure how to read the action by the school board. "I know there's some talk about the District building some buildings of their own. They did share late yesterday afternoon with me a plan to put a couple of buildings out there. We don't know where or how we'd all do this. " Dinkel added he thinks it will come down to what the school district wants to put on the site, and how or whether it could fit in.